The Eleven Principles

Monday

Jun 30, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take the Ten Commandments and eitherendorse them or change them in a way that represents the 21st Century. Recently, I had theopportunity to do this at a religious setting and to try and understand their meaning andwhat this century represents as a challenge to developing some principles that could be added tothe Ten Commandments, and make this meaningful to the geography we call the Pocono- Northeast. Most everyone knows what the Ten Commandments are, but they may not have studied theirdefinition or thought about what additional principles should be evaluated in light of humanlife in this century. Instead of calling them commandments, we might think of additionalsteps as principles that should be followed as part of the regional life stream that is representative ofhow we should interact for the benefit of not only the people we associate with , but the children andgrandchildren and their children who will follow, whether they decide to live in northeasternPennsylvania or reside elsewhere. These principles can be adjusted or added to in coming years,but are important components of a creative framework for human society life in the decades ahead.• Thou shalt support world peace. This principle is often thought of, but we are a long wayfrom reaching this dream.• Thou shalt speak the truth. Too often, small or large untruths come from the mouths of regionalresidents, and this dilemma has been compounded by the astonishing electronic communicationsavailable today.• Thou shalt do good every day. Achieving this principle can be accomplished easily if enoughthought is given to techniques that enable positive implementation. • Thou shalt not shift the blame to someone else. It is too easy at times to focus onothers who you want to share the blame.• Thou shalt organize partners to focus attention on positive ways to create a better community.Thou shalt begin a planning framework to look ahead and determine a future thatis meaningful and better than the past.• Thou shalt assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to whatever projectis undertaken.• Thou shalt adopt the best strategies and techniques that have been proven successfulelsewhere to the needs and aspirations of the citizens of a government.• Thou shalt develop civic engagements that are designed to better the quality of lifeof whatever geography is felt to be pertinent.• Thou shalt institute service learning as a component of community life throughouta career as well as retirement times.• Thou shalt examine the benefits of whatever actions are utilized before making anydecision that will eventually impact the people of a region. Think of what these principles mean, and they all can be considered steps in a process to improvethe community of the Pocono-Northeast well beyond current standards and generate a betteropportunity for a compassionate view of the tomorrow land that relates to over one millioncitizens of this important region. T he most powerful tool that is available for changing theregion for the better is to focus on the ability of the people and officials to come togetherand avoid politicizing those key indicators and decisions that will determine how and inwhat manner economics and the environment can blend together in the decades and regionalgenerations ahead.---Howard J. Grossman operates his own consulting firm, HJG Associates, 116 Grandview Drive, Pittston Township Pa. 18640, e-mail grossmanHJ@aol.com.